Monday, October 1, 2012

Last night California Gov. Jerry Brown finally signed the bill that bans "ex-gay therapy" for children under the age of 18.

The bill, SB1172 by Sen. Ted Lieu,
D-Torrance (Los Angeles County), bars mental health practitioners from
performing so-called reparative therapy, which professional
psychological organizations have said may cause harm. Gay rights groups
have labeled them dangerous and abusive. "This bill bans non-scientific
'therapies' that have driven young people to depression and suicide.
These practices have no basis in science or medicine and they will now
be relegated to the dustbin of quackery," Brown said in a statement to
The Chronicle.Brown approved the ban after the public release of two
other lists of bills signed and vetoed earlier Saturday. Lieu's bill is
expected to appear on a new list to be released Sunday.

REACTIONSNational Center for Lesbian Rights: "Governor Brown has sent a
powerful message of affirmation and support to LGBT youth and their
families. This law will ensure that state-licensed therapists can no
longer abuse their power to harm LGBT youth and propagate the dangerous
and deadly lie that sexual orientation is an illness or disorder that
can be 'cured.'"Equality California: "Governor Brown today reaffirmed what
medical and mental health organizations have made clear: Efforts to
change minors' sexual orientation are not therapy, they are the relics
of prejudice and abuse that have inflicted untold harm on young lesbian,
gay, bisexual and transgender Californians. We thank Senator Ted Lieu
and Governor Brown for their efforts in making California a leader in
banning this deceptive and harmful practice."Truth Wins Out: "This is a historic day that protects LGBT youth
from child abuse disguised as genuine therapy. We thank Gov. Brown for
signing legislation that can serve as a model for similar bills across
the nation.”Human Rights Campaign: "We're grateful to Governor Brown for
standing with California's children. LGBT youth will now be protected
from a practice that has not only been debunked as junk science, but has
been proven to have drastically negative effects on their well-being.
We commend Governor Brown for putting children first, and call on all
states to take California’s lead on this issue. We will continue our
fight against this kind of child abuse, which has been deemed harmful to
children by all major mental health, medical, and child welfare
organizations."Courage Campaign: "Governor Brown has shown courage for enacting
the first law in the nation to ban 'conversion therapy' for gay people.
The Governor's action will protect thousands of lesbian, gay, bisexual
and transgender (LGBT) youth of California. This law will save lives
here and across the nation by ending the torture of young people through
the quackery that suggests that gay people can decide somehow not to be
gay, which is akin to white people deciding not to be white. Once
again, California is a model for the nation."

"Which
version of 'traditional marriage' would you like to use Mr. Balling?
Should we go back to ancient Israel and practice polygamy, with a
woman’s only right that to own her own tent? Or should we use the
ancient Greek definition of marriage, one more concerned with
inheritance than love or procreation, one that would force a woman to
divorce her current husband and marry a sibling if that was required to
continue the family? Should we force a brother to marry his dead
sibling’s wife? Or perhaps we should make arranged marriages with child
brides, that’s certainly traditional enough. Wait, I know, let’s go with
the one where you have to pay three goats and a cow in order to ensure
the woman is yours to keep forever, and you can stone her to death if
she cheats on you. That one sounds terrific!" - Minnesota Viking kicker Chris Kluwe, writing in response to an op-ed column published by the Star-Tribune.

Tricycle Daily DharmaOctober 1, 2012

Nothing Else

If
we have ambitions—even if our aim is enlightenment—then there is no
meditation, because we are thinking about it, craving it, fantasizing,
imagining things. That is not meditation. This is why an important
characteristic of shamatha meditation is to let go of any goal and
simply sit for the sake of sitting. We breathe in and out, and we just
watch that. Nothing else.

- Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche, "Do Nothing"

Read the entire article in the Tricycle Wisdom Collection through October 3rd, 2012 For full access at any time, become a Tricycle Community Supporting or Sustaining Member